Yesterday morning the Knox County Commission met to select it’s leaders for another year, September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2024.
The past year, after 6 ladies became a majority of the Commission last September 1, Commission has been led by Madam Chair Courtney Durrett with Vice Chair Terry Hill.
The body selected Sixth District Commissioner and Vice Chair Hill as Chairlady with no one challenging her. She was elected by a vote of 9 in favor 0 against and 2 pass. Initially I believed it was Carson Dailey and John Schoonmaker that passed. However, the daily paper reports it was Dailey and Kyle Ward.
Third District Commissioner Gina Oster who began her second year on Commission yesterday, was nominated by Ward and elected unanimously as Vice Chair by the entire Commission.
Four of the five men on Commission began their last year in office yesterday. Schoonmaker, Dailey, Ward and Richie Beeler. Schoonmaker and Dailey are term limited and ineligible to seek the positions in 2024. Schoonmaker will have served 10 years and Dailey 8 years. Schoonmaker was appointed after Richard Briggs was elected to State Senate and resigned. Neither Dailey nor Schoonmaker were ever selected to serve as Chair during their terms of office.
Ward and Beeler are self imposing term limits on themselves, having announced they will not be candidates for reelection, although they are eligible.
Dailey’s South Knox District has produced two Chairs of Knox County School Board in the last 24 years with Jim McClain and current School Board Chair Kristi Kristy.
Both Hill and Oster were complimentary of the leadership of Madam Chair Durrett the last year after their election. Durrett set the bar high for the future.
